Feline
Pregnancy

The Signs

Up to date the only safe method to detect feline
pregnancy is when
your cat is already 3 to 4 weeks pregnant. That’s almost half way
through her pregnancy already. Gestation period for cats ranges from
59-65 days.

Well… you can’t ask your cat to pee on the stick.

About
three weeks into pregnancy her nipple will become pinker and more
prominent. You will start to notice the baby bump at around 4 weeks.

What To Expect During Feline Pregnancy

Around one to two weeks of pregnancy, your girls’ appetite may increase
gradually until before queening. Her caloric intake will be at least
25% higher.

But
she may lose her appetite at around 3 weeks of gestation. Don’t be
alarmed as her weight gain will return by another week. Do not adjust
her diet or change her food at this time. This is a normal dip in
appetite in all pregnant cats.

It will also recur during
the last days of pregnancy.You can also expect your outgoing queen to
be a bit reclusive when her due date approaches. She will seek secluded
area and spend less time with your family. She may be more loving to
you (her favorite people) but hostile to strangers. So give your girl
some peace of mind. You should already prepare a birth area for her. see
birthing supplies and equipment

Diet and Activities

Ironically, your queens’ caloric demands are highest during early
pregnancy. Her body will remain strong and agile and she will remain
active (as she normally would) but she will eat like a horse. This can
also be a clue that she is pregnant.

Her
nutritional demand will decrease as she’ll grow heavy and clumsy. She
will spend her days resting rather than chasing your feather teaser.

These are all signs that your cat and her kitten might be in danger.
Bring her to the vet if any one of these signs shows up.

Hormonal Imbalance during Pregnancy

Progesterone is the hormone
that maintains feline pregnancy. Once it drops at the last weeks of
pregnancy, it will trigger labor. However, if the progesterone level
drops before 6 weeks pregnancy, the kittens will be reabsorbed by the
mother.

You
will hardly notice this loss, other than your queen will fail to
develop as expected. It takes 7-10 days of progesterone failure to lose
kittens during pregnancy, and you may not be able to detect it until
it’s too late. If you have this problem with your queen, you can only
amend it in the next pregnancy.

It will be easier and less risky
to just spay your queen, but if you still want to breed from her, you
may need to support the next pregnancy with weekly progesterone
injections. You can ask your vet for this.